Top Recipes for Fried Green Tomatoes

Frying Basics

Your tomatoes will hold up best if you cut them horizontally in ¼-inch thick slices. If you like, you can sprinkle a tiny pinch of sugar on each slice to chase away any lingering bitterness.

Before frying, simply dredge the slices in seasoned flour--or make a thicker breading: dip the slices lightly in flour, then in beaten egg, and then give the tomatoes a good coating of breadcrumbs, cornmeal, or cracker crumbs.

For real down-home flavor, fry them in bacon grease (or a mix of bacon grease and vegetable oil). But regardless of what kind of fat you use, make sure it's good and hot (375 degrees F/190 degrees C) for golden-brown and crispy results.

When Is a Green Tomato Ready?

Not all green tomatoes are alike. In fact, when those shiny emerald orbs first begin to appear on the vines, they're not yet edible. The best-tasting green tomatoes are those that have reached full maturity with just the faintest hint of a red blush about the flesh. They'll have a firm texture with a pleasantly acidic bite and just a hint of tomato flavor.

Once picked, mature green tomatoes can keep for weeks, slowly edging towards redness. If you do want to store them long-term, arrange them in a single layer in a cool (but not cold) place and check them frequently: one bad tomato can spoil the whole batch.

The Perfect Shade of Green

At the beginning of tomato season in Italy, green and barely-pink tomatoes start showing up in salads. The firm texture of these tomatoes makes them great for grilling, too: perk up your grilled meats by sizzling up some tart green tomato slices, lightly brushed with olive oil, right alongside them. Green tomatoes also make a mighty tasty side dish when they're baked until soft and seasoned with a little butter, chopped herbs and salt. You can also try them in salsas, soups, and vegetable sautés.

You'll be amazed at the chameleon-like quality of green tomatoes in desserts. With a little creative seasoning, green tomato pie tastes just like apple pie, and green tomato cake is just a moist and delicious spice cake with a secret. Green tomatoes have also been known to show up in jars of homemade preserves. When you add some sugar, the flavor of green tomatoes becomes quite neutral, and when mixed with other fruit, they become a wonderful way for economical cooks to stretch out a batch of jam or mincemeat.

I've been dying for my tomato plants to produce nice big green tomatoes so I could fry them up! I remember my mom making these when I was little. Does anybody know of a great dipping sauce, or sandwich dressing for fried green tomatoes? Also, I've been wanting to try fish tacos; a small voice in the back of my head says to put fried green tomatoes in them! ??

I've been enjoying fried green tomatoes for 2 weeks now, courtsey of my neighbor's dog who broke off two of his tomato plants! I fry my up after I've dredged them in a cornmeal and flour mixture. I make a dipping sauce using 1/2 sour cream, 1/2 mayo and some creole seasoning stirred in. Adjust seasoning to your taste. Works great on fried zucchini too!

I wait eagerly every year for the first green tomatoes to be just ripe enough to fry... I like to dip them in an egg and lemon juice mixture, then in a combination of flour, salt, pepper, garlic and parmesan. Possibly my favorite food!

I have been eating fried green tomatoes for many years(since I was a little girl and I am now 53) NO need for any dipping sauce. If you fry them up correctly they will have a wonderful flavor by themselves.

Patricia

Nov. 2, 2009 5:37 pm

Love em!! I dip them in beaten up
egg and Panko breadcrumbs. Then fry.
Delicious.

allen

Jan. 24, 2010 12:24 pm

mama use to cook my favorate fried green tomatoes esp. inj summer whe3n the tomatoes got big and green she sliced them and rolled in flour and salt and pepper and they were delicious

rustybriggles

Jan. 26, 2010 10:27 pm

i was born in indiana & ive eaten these for many many years. i get them very green ,slice & dredge in flour, salt & pepper & theyre ready to eat. fry to golden brown in very hot oil

A/C

Feb. 21, 2010 4:57 am

I like to coat eggplant with pancake flour. Going to try it on fried green tomatoes. thanks for giving me the idea.

I get green tomatoes from my next door neighbors at the end of summer,beginning of fall.When I tried frying them I enjoyed them,but they weren't good enough to share with my neighbors.I found out I was missing the breadcrumb step when I saw Martha Stewart make them on her show.This year I hope to make the classic recipe and bring my nice neighbors back some of their green tomatoes fried to a delicious golden brown!
After I've perfected the basic recipe,I will try some of the variations above.Fried asparagus sounds good!

The tomatoes need to be firm, not necessarily green. When you visit the grocery store or farm stand, pick out the firmest red or reddish-green tomatoes. After slicing them sprinkle with sugar on both sides. Then dredge them well in flour seasoned with salt & pepper (and some dried basil if you have it). Fry them in a pan with some canola oil until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper. That's it.

RAB639

May 19, 2010 10:59 am

Thank you, I have been looking for a good fried green tomato recipe for a long time, and thanks to everybodys input I think i've got more then one.

I can only say that the recipes on Allrecipes taste a lot better than any others. Thanks for giving me the chance to read this and look at the recipes on here.

Sheri Whittier

Jul. 6, 2010 6:36 am

Those all sound delicious, I have never tried a fried green tomato, but I am DYING to try them! I love tomatoes! I live in Va and I dont know where to get green tomatoes! I live in an apt. so i dont have a yard, which sux! Anyway my mouth was watering after reading all your blogs, I hope get the oppurtunity to try a fried green tomato soon!

kross

Jul. 23, 2010 9:43 pm

I have been eating fried green tomatoes for years. We use Krusteaz Bake & Fry coating mix. Mix up some egg and milk dip them in the wet mixture first then the bake & fry. Fry them up till there golden brown,salt if you like.yum yum.

Marjorie

Jul. 31, 2010 12:42 pm

I am almost 70 years old and have been eating fried green tomatoes for as long as I can remember.
Easiest way to cook for a large crowd. Sliced tomatoes. Dip in eaten egg then into seasoned flour. Let them rest about 2 to 5 minutes. Turn on oven to 450. Use heavy cookie sheet. Pour in oil or bacon grease to about an 1/8" deep. Let pan heat until oil is really hot. Pull out rack and carefully place tomato slices on cookie sheet. Let cook for about 4 - 5 minutes. Carefully pull out oven rack and turn over the browned tomato slices. Let brown. These are so good. Lightly salt. My family love them for breakfast and dinner.

Kaybirddeb

Sep. 11, 2010 12:23 pm

I was raised in Texas on my Granny's recipe, and still love it best. I coat the slices in a mixture of flour, cornmeal, salt and pepper. Then fry in bacon grease. The flour mixed in gives it a great texture, and the coating stays on better too. Nowadays, I use Canola Oil, for better heart health. Still really yummy. But....every once in awhile we decide to live on the edge, and use the B G. M--m -m - good!

spiritofwicca

Sep. 15, 2010 6:30 am

I've always wanted to try these. Is there a particular variety of tomato that works best?

I've ate fried green tomatoes for years. I want a real firm tomato green or just starting to turn. Slice real thin. Melt butter in skillet dip tomatoes in egg/milk mixture than dip in flour, salt, pepper. Fry in melted butter until crispy. May need to add more butter while frying. I also fry mushrooms the same way. Very good. My grandchildren now wait for late summer/early fall to enjoy the fried tomatoes.

streamsleek

Oct. 1, 2010 4:08 pm

I read all the above entries and didn't see anything that resembles my family recipe. Try them with flour, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. taste the mixture to make sure it's sweet. fry is vegetable oil and enjoy.

eminshive

Oct. 17, 2010 4:33 pm

I love fried green tomatoes but haven't had any for years. I just dip them in egg and then flour and fry. then add a little salt. My friend likes green tomato pie. I had never heard of it before but now I have a recipe i'll have to try it.

Ruje

Oct. 18, 2010 8:32 pm

To DECAFinNW, regarding the dipping sauce for Fried Green Tomatoes...we order them frequently at Lucille's Smokehouse Bar-B-Que in Southern Calif. They serve them with a Red Pepper Cream Sauce...wonderful!

kaydee

Nov. 6, 2010 2:47 pm

I've eaten fried green tomatoes for years. I only coat them with egg and white corn meal. I use olive oil these days and then I make a corn meal gravy to pour on top. Just substitute white corn meal for the flour and cook as usual. I have found that any firm tomatoe will work including ripe ones. Enjoy a bit of the taste of the south.

My mom always put crumbled feta cheese mixed with walnuts and a little honey from our beehive to help it stick together and give a nice mild sweet taste. DELICIOUS on fried green tomatoes. Just put a TB. on each FGT and it is soo good! :)

i READ THE COMMENT ON FRIED GREEN TOMATOES FROM KAYDEE AND WAS REALLY SURPRISED WHEN SHE MENTIONED CORNMEAL GRAVY,MY GRANDMA AND MOM USED TO MAKE IT AND SO HAVE I .WAS WONDERING HOW SHE DOES IT AND WHERE IT ORIGINATES FROM .SHE IS THE ONLY PERSON I HAVE EVER HEARD OF THAT MAKES IT. WOULD LOVE YOUR RECIPES. LUCILLE

K

Mar. 19, 2011 11:01 am

Just dredge them in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. When they are done frying, place them on a plate covered with a paper towel. Sprinkle with a little salt and add a small dab of butter... I can't wait for summer!

Nikola

Mar. 23, 2011 6:31 pm

I slice them kinda thin, melt margarine or butter in a pan, cover both sides of the green tomato and fry them in the pan. Sooooo good!

Rufe

Mar. 26, 2011 8:05 pm

—>KAYDEE! —>from Lucille and me... PLEASE post your CORN MEAL GRAVY recipe!
I'm sittin' here in temps in the teens in late March when most of the world is Springing...and reading about FGTs has made me feel at home. "Home" is Northern Virginia, and FGTs are "One of My Favorite Things!"

nana

Mar. 30, 2011 4:58 pm

I use a mixture of thousand island dressing and creamy horseradish sauce for the green tomato dip. Simply delicious.

I've eating fried green tomatoes forever. I love 'em. I learned to make them from dad who used flour, salt and pepper for the breading. Then fry in bacon grease. It's good as is but we always have them for breakfast along with scrambled eggs n cheese, salmon patties, bacon, biscuits and syrup on the side. The best breakfast!!

Grasshopper131

Apr. 28, 2011 7:10 am

Fried green tomatoes are my favorite food! In the summer when my garden in going good, we like to cut up green tomatoes, squash and potatoes, then dredge them in a mixture of flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper and granulated garlic and fry it all together. Sometimes even add some okra to it.

alison

Jul. 12, 2011 10:53 am

After a particularly bad rain storm a couple of years ago we lost almost half of our tomato plants...or so we thought, my resourceful fella decided we should try 'to make lemonade out of the lemons' so to speak.We brought all the damaged plants into the house and cut off about 15 pounds of really green tomatos, waited a couple of days to figure out what we should do with them and started playing around with spice combos and the bbq grill. We sliced the tomatos horizontally for the best sturdiness and then coated one side with cajun type spices and then placed them on a medium heat grill, once we flipped them we then seasoned the other side. We made a dipping sauce of mayo and Franks Redhot sauce. The first time we made them it was just family, once we realized how amazing they were we started to share...they are so tasty, Thus began a yearly vigal waiting for the first batch of the year big enough to grill.

As 1 of the commenters said abt. cucumbers..........We always had fried cucumbers,just peel & slice length-ways.From there do as for fried green tomatoes..All my mother & now I have ever used is flour ,salt & pepper,I've never liked any other ingredient in the dredge,just the tried & true. Used to we,too,waited til end of summer,but not anymore,my precious husband always comes & asks me if I'm ready for FGT...when I am he'll bring them in or I'll get them myself,but this is only after we know for sure there are plenty of others to ripen. My husband & none of my kids ever liked them. As a child we sometimes had them out of necessity..maybe thats why they never liked them,they never had to EAT them.when as a child some of my mother's sisters & husband's would show up unexpected( this was over 60 yrs ago) didn't need an invite but my poor mother couldn't relax until she decided she would have to have FGT.Every one loved them & would have turkied if they knew my mother was so worried,as wh

Many years ago I read a recipe in Gourmet Magazine for fried green tomatoes. Just dredge in flour, salt and pepper with about 2 T. corn meal. After frying, sprinkle with brown sugar - it doesn't need a lot - just a sprinkle. No dip needed!

Love fried food,tomato's are the best, but do try other vegatables too.

poneal

Mar. 17, 2012 7:41 am

Not sure why ever4y FGT recipe calls for them to be greaded. My father taught me to make them years ago, simply slice a few tomatoes with an onion, fry in oil or fat with a small handful of banana peppers. My father used bacon fat, I changed to olive oil. serve with some multi grain toast. I have this for breakfast every day when the tomatoes are in season

GinaF

Mar. 26, 2012 4:45 pm

I love FGT with hollandaise sauce and crabmeat on top. It is definately a meal!! Fried pickled jalapenos are also a favorite and are great on burgers!

I sprinkle salt to remover the bitterness in my sliced tomatoes, i season flour with salt and pepper roll tomatoe slices in flour mix fry in hot bacon drippings fry till golden brown,,,the thicker your slices the better but can slice as thin as you want

Years ago Gourmet Magazine had a recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes which was basically the same as this. However, they said to sprinkle a very small amount of brown sugar on top of each slice. Truly heavenly! Try it - you'll like it.

I usually roll my green tomato's in cornmeal and fry but was out of the regular but found a couple of boxes of Jiffy mix corn bread mix and substituted,I will never use regular corn meal mix again.

Judy

Aug. 8, 2012 5:03 am

There is nothing better than fresh fried green tomato's in the summer, I grew up enjoying them as a kid with fried fish.

Liz Bateman

Aug. 28, 2012 7:23 am

www.VineRipeDirect.com can ship tomatoes anywhere in the U.S. Fried Green Tomato Time! They have red and green tomatoes almost year-round and then provide seasonal varieties like Heirlooms too.

JTSmommie

Oct. 7, 2012 12:43 pm

Love fried green tomatoes. Introduced my son to them and he has been begging for them everyday! He loves to put ranch dressing on them but I'm happy with a bit of salt and pepper.

Ditty50

Apr. 26, 2013 2:52 am

I TOO GREW UP ON THIS DELICIOUS FRUIT.MY NANNY USED JUST PLAIN EGG/MILK AND FLOUR IN A CAST IRON SKILLET ON OLD TIME COOK STOVE.JUST ADD SALT,PEPPER AND BUTTER [HOMEMADE BUTTER]IF YOU CAN FIND ANY,Mmmmmm!!!!!!!!! ENJOY

rkryszak

Jul. 31, 2013 3:09 pm

I have a question... how well do fried green tomatoes hold up for next day eating? And what is the best way to reheat them?????

Kay

May 3, 2014 2:14 pm

My aunt, whose family owned an inn about 80 yrs. ago, served FGT which their guests loved-I use the same receipe today. Slice tomatoes, wet with H2O,dip in equal parts sugar and flour-fry in oil in a heavy skillet. They become carmelized and somewhat crispy-delicious!